New photos of 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari released as search continues

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – FBI Charlotte has released new photos of 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari, the Cornelius girl who has been missing for a month.

“Earlier this week, we told you Madalina loves horses. You can see the pure joy she feels when she takes her plastic ponies to the beach,” an FBI Charlotte tweet accompanying the photos stated. “And she enjoys riding the real pony named Rayne.”

The release of the new photos Friday comes a day after authorities shared a handwritten letter from Madalina’s family asking the community for continued help in finding her.

Related: Family of missing 11-year-old Cornelius girl asks for continued help in finding her

The girl was last seen shortly before Thanksgiving but not reported missing until Dec. 15, when her parents alerted the school resource officer at Bailey Middle School in Cornelius.

Since she was reported missing, Cojocari’s stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, and her mother, Diana Cojocari, have both been arrested and charged with failure to report a missing child.

Both Diana Cojocari and Palmiter maintain they don’t know what happened to Madalina in the weeks since she went missing.

The Cornelius Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Bureau of Investigation are searching for the child.

Madalina weighs approximately 90 pounds and was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple and white Adidas shoes, and a white t-shirt and jacket.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Madalina Cojocari is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773 or the North Mecklenburg Crimestoppers at 704-896-7867.

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